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Who Dey Revolution Manifesto

Preamble

IN THIS TIME of perpetual Cincinnati Bengals incompetence and futility, with zero playoff wins in the nineteen seasons since the WhoDeyRevolution Godfather, Paul Brown, passed away in 1991 and handed the team to his fortunate son, the Despot, Mike Brown;

Introduction

WE, the members of the Who Dey Revolution, in our fervent dedication to the Cincinnati Bengals and fanatical desire to transform our hometown team into perpetual Super Bowl contenders, call for a popular revolution of fans to demand comprehensive reform to the managerial decisions and approach of Cincinnati Bengals ownership, management, staff and players, and hereby call for the adoption of the following Who Dey Revolution Manifesto:

Manifesto Demands

THAT the Mike Brown, Katie Blackburn, Marvin Lewis, along with every other member of the Bengals management, staff and personnel, state publicly to all Bengals fans, “I will do everything in my power to help the Cincinnati Bengals win a Super Bowl;”

THAT Mike Brown will hire a general manager, drastically expand the scouting department and relinquish all control of player personnel;

THAT all training, rehabilitation and medical facilities are considered best-in-class compared to other NFL teams;

THAT the management fill the team only with players who fit the system, both mentally and physically, and are not reluctant to makes changes to player personnel when needed, regardless of cost or loyalty concerns;

THAT offensive and defensive line depth is considered the top priority for all player personnel decisions;

THAT all decisions made by ownership, management, staff and players, both on and off the field, are judged only by this criterion: “Does this help the Cincinnati Bengals win a Super Bowl?”

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November 11, 2008

Project Mayhem Task #2: Support "Hire a General Manager" Billboards

The above image is a billboard located at four locations around Cincinnati, asking that the Bengals finally hire a real General Manger. 18 seasons of Mike Brown making football decisions have led the Bengals to a record of 98-183, the worst winning percentage of all professional sports teams over that stretch. Einstein's famous quote "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” should be framed and put above the door to Mike Brown's office.

To make sure these billboards can stay up for the rest of the season and into the once again Bengal-free post-season, we need some help from our fellow Comrades. We are asking for you to donate $18 using the Paypal link on the left of the page - or $1 for each year of Mike Brown's ownership of the team. However, if you are in a financial position to donate more than $18, by all means go for it. We don't want to hold you back. We need all the donations possible to keep these billboards up. Just think how much of your money Mike Brown has buried in a tin can in his backyard (he doesn't trust those new fancy "banks") and contribute to a cause that is working to take back our team. Unfortunately, the fathers of the writers of WDR did not start an NFL team so we need your help to keep these billboards up.

The purpose of these billboards is to bring local and national attention to the underlying cause of the Bengals almost 2 decades worth of historic losing: a lack of football minds making football decisions. WDR is calling on the entire Bengals organization to do whatever is in their power to get Mike Brown to hire a GM.

We are not delusional. We don't think that these billboards alone will cause Mike Brown to change. But unless the Bengals make some big changes, you can expect a lot more losing. So Bengals fans have a few choices: 1) blindly follow the team and just be happy our humble city has an NFL franchise; 2) get so fed up with the Bengals that you either quit following the NFL, become a passive fan or adopt a new team, or 3) join with WhoDeyRevolution and your fellow comrades to demand change.

We will get an actual shot up of the billboards as soon as possible. In the meantime, we really need your support by donating $18 (or more) to our cause using the Paypal link on the left side of the page.

And remember, the first rule of Project Mayhem is to tell EVERYONE about Project Mayhem.

UPDATE: As of 9:00am today (11/13), Bengals
fans have donated a total of $3,140.11. To fund the billboards for the rest of the season and into the postseason, we need to raise an additional $1,359.89. If only 75 more people donate $18, the billboards will be up for another 2 months telling Mike Brown and the Bengals what the fans really think. Please donate using the Paypal link on the left.

BILLBOARD'S EFFECT: For those who say these billboards will have no effect, watch this story on the billboards by John London of Channel 5 (NBC). Without these billboards, would the media be asking players about a Bengals GM? Reaching out to Mike Brown for comment? Check out C. Trent's take here. Because of these billboards and the hundreds of fans who have contributed to the site to keep them up, the focus is back on the real reason the Bengals are 1-8: a lack of football minds making football decisions. And make sure you read this post by LeRoy Jenkins on why this year is different than past years.

This is a fantastic idea. I wanted to do something similar to the WEBN billboards. The ones that say "Where Dey?" and then have all the radio info. I just wanted to paint over the rest of it, so all it said was "Where Dey" I proposed the idea to Wildman during a call in, but he said he couldn't condone any vandalism to station property but would laugh if it happened. But this idea is so much better. All hail the Revolution!

While I agree with your message and I love the creativity of your banner, I also am sure that it has been pointed out that Mike Brown does not run the Bengals as a football team first but as a business enterprise, a family trust and then a football team. And he is very good at the first two. In the NFL business, he is the beneficiary of revenue sharing rather than a sole proprietorship of P&L. I believe Mike wants to win, but does not need to win to accomplish his goals. I also wonder if a GM worth his salt would even consider the position based on Mikes history of not reliquishing control of the team.

MBS posters recall when a plane flew above the stadium in the early 2000s protesting Brown's ownership. It helped raise awareness about the issue. I fully endorse and support this billboard and ensure that I will help contribute to the cause.

Here's an idea that would get some news -
"A WHERE DEY Fan March" that starts maybe across the bridge and finish at PBS. Everyone wear black and a put bag on their head. And do it on Superbowl Sunday Morning. Get the radio and tv stations involved.

Think we could get Kroger (or Bigg's) to be the official sponsor of Project Mayhem Task #3 by passing out (or at least provide) grocery bags to fans in attendance at a future home game? They would be sans eye holes, but maybe that would be a good thing.

Ahh - I have been waiting for this opportunity to join a team of change. I think Project Mayhem's number 1 priority should be boycotting the purchase of all food, drink, and Bengal paraphernalia at all games for the rest of the season. This revolution should continue until a reputable GM is hired, maybe even until a GM is hired and the Bengals reach the playoffs. I have recently been thinking of ways to encourage change and we all know change will not occur unless it hits the pocket book. I know it will be painful to watch a game without a drink or a dog but just compare that to another 18 yrs of losses. Unless some significant loss of revenue and profit occurs, nothing will change.

Rough conservative estimate 50,000 people per game. 50% of people join the revolution - so we are down to 25,000 people. $25 to $50/game per person. That is a hit to the top line of $625k to $1.25MM per game. I would estimate that is a hit to the bottom line of $375k to $750k per game (assume 60%). That is $3.75MM to $7.5MM a year based on 10 home games.

How about not letting the Browns go home after the KC game? I mean if we have a big enough protest outside wouldn't Mike be scared to leave PBS? The cops will not do much about it, they're as pissed as the rest of us. The best thing you can do is not renew. Don't renew.

Like many of you guys, this is exactly what I've been waiting for. I moved to Cincinnati a few years ago and bought season tickets since the PSLs were cheap. Since then, I've been sucked in and spit out by Paul Brown's poor excuse for a football team. I've watched fans around me at Paul Brown be satisfied with an terribly-run organization because that is what they're used to. I've spent plenty of money on Bengals crap and I stopped this year to end my personal contributions to Mike Brown's bank account. I needed somewhere to go with the money normally dedicated to Who Dey, this is it!

This is the time, I say we do billboards, bumper stickers, house signs, whatever it takes. Regardless of what political party you subscribe to you can't deny that Obama's grassroots change message worked. I say we steal some of those philosophies and do the damn thing!

What a wonderful idea!! I'm all for it! Do you really want to bring local AND national attention to the cause?? This is no joke,,,,,, What about a class action lawsuit to have "Cincinnati" removed from the Cincinnati Bengals?? That team/ownership is an embarrassment to the wonderul city of Cincinnati and it's citizens!!
I am a citizen of the city of Cincinnati and I can no longer stand the thought of that "franchise" being associated with the city in which we live!!!
As a fan of the NFL, particularly the Bengals, since 1971, I can no longer follow "my" team! I will NOT watch or follow any NFL games this year because I have to listen to the pundits tell the truth about the Bengals. THEY SUCK!!! They've basically sucked since 1991. This "franchise" is like a drug addict. A drug addict, most likely, was a good person for years until they get hooked on drugs and they become something else or someone else,,,a loser. You know the drug addict doesn't have to be a loser if they would just give up drugs.
This "franchise" was basically a good "franchise" for 23 years. For the last 18 years, they've been a loser because Mikey-boy has been that drug! Enough is enough!!!

Do you want local and national attention?? A CLASS ACTION lawsuit to have "Cincinnati" removed from the Bengals would do it!!!!

Love the new ideas. It was suggested to me that a group get together and take a half to full page ad out in the USA Today that is a letter to the NFL, the Bengals and Mike Brown from all of the fans. Let me know what you think. I need to be a part of WDR seeing as I am the guy that wanted to organize the walkout.

Remember Detroit's "Millen Man March" in 2005? That didn't do a single thing for the Lions. What it finally took was Bill Ford questioning his father in public about why Matt Millen was still employed.

One thing that can be done is to petition the league that teams in the NFL meet certain minimum standards of personnel: a certain minimum number of scouts, a particular management structure, and a system of checks and balances within the organization. That would enable not only the Bengals but teams run by nutcases like the Raiders and Cardinals (I presume this year is an abberation) to join the 21st Century.

Maybe Mike Brown is still the ultimate authority, but by forcing any NFL team to have a certain minimum number of individual scouts, a GM not only identified but is someone separate from Ownership within the organization, and a certain minimum standard for facilities would either force Mike Brown to either upgrade or sell to meet the requirements.

It is silly that I have to say this, but I firmly believe the Bengals should hire a GM and probably replace 90% of front office staff. The real puzzling question is…why wouldn’t he hire one? Let’s try to crawl inside his head…

The Case for MB NOT hiring a GM (from MB's point of view):

Team Management Reasons:

Won't Make a Difference - MB has been around the NFL and its owners and GM's his entire life. MB feels he understands the game of football and its parts and pieces better than any GM possibly could given his tenure. If we assume this confidence in his own ability he must believe that a GM would have made similar personnel decisions (or worse) given the information presented to him at the time. Which brings us to our next point...

Waste of Money - Given that MB feels that he is the equal to or better than any GM he could hire a GM would be a waste of money. Money they are currently spending on players, scouts, or fan amenities. Fans might think they like the idea of having a GM, but they won't like paying for him when he delivers virtually no value.

Too Many Chiefs - There are already enough opinions on what should be done on this team. There are plenty of scouts, coaches (coordinators, position coaches, etc.), personnel directors that have input into how things are being run. This adds another layer of bureaucracy in the organization and another set of opinions. MB feels he already has enough expertise within the org. when it comes to making decisions.

Owner vs. GM Conflict - The Bengals were formed because of an Owner vs. GM/coach conflict. There is a built in tension between the Owner and GM if the owner is active with the club. MB knows that this tension would develop and doesn't want to hire GM and create more tension in an org. that is already on edge due to lack of performance.

Personal Reasons:

Giving Up Control - This would be the first time that a non-Brown would be running the Bengals. Assuming this GM would be given the latitude afforded most NFL GM's this would mean relinquishing a majority of the day-to-day and strategic control of the team. If you owned a family business that employed half your family and contained all of their inheritance, say a pizza parlor, would you feel comfortable giving up most of the control to someone when you consider yourself a master chef and great business manager?

Outsider on the Inside - Because the nepotism runs wild within MB's Bengals there are very few outsiders that get a view into the day-to-day operations. A GM would have full access to interact and judge the competency of all personnel. If there are known deficiencies within the organization a GM may push to fire an aunt, uncle, sister. MB can keep that unexposed and limit the amount of familial disruption.

MB Failed as GM - By giving up control of the team MB would go down in history as one of the worst GM’s in the history of sports. With each year he has an opportunity to improve this record and his legacy.

Everyone Else Was Right - By giving up control of the team MB admits that he was wrong all along. All of his critics would get to say that he was wrong for not hiring a GM throughout the lost decade (90's) to save the sinking ship. MB doesn't think this is case. In fact, given the points above a GM may have made things worse.

There you have it... In a ridiculously long post. Let's forget all the personal reasons for not hiring a GM for a second. I fully believe that MB has talked himself into thinking that a GM would make things WORSE not better. In his mind the team would lose more games by more points and the organization would have less money if they HAD a GM.

Great interview with Daughtery... Did everyone get a chance to watch it? I couldn't help but laugh my ass off at two grown men calling each other "Comrade" on broadcast television. It was hilariously awkward.

Great idea on the billboards. I guess the Who Dey Revolution army was too young to remember the WEBN billboard days in the mid-1990's. You need some fresh material.

Bungles is right on why Mikey Boy thinks he does not need a GM. Is is OUR job to demand that for our continued loyalty, he needs a GM. WhoDeyRevolution will convince Mike Brown (and his family) that the ONLY way for him to continue to profit is to let a FOOTBALL person make FOOTBALL decision. Seems smart enough.

Next time my car breaks down, I promise, I will not take it to Chipotle and ask the salsa guy them to check out my brakes. I may love Chipotle and think they do a FINE job of making burritos, but that does not mean they can fix brakes.

Mike Brown can make money but he can not run a winning football organization.

This is seriously the greatest idea of fan organization and protest that I have ever seen.

I'm a Browns fan, so I can't in good conscience contribute to something that could potentially make the Bengals better, but I did highlight you on my blog to show some support as a long suffering fan of NFL football in Ohio.

Good luck raising the money and with the revolution. I'm thinking it's about time the Browns started something similar, and I hope this is a trend that continues in sports. Why shouldn't fans hold ownership accountable?

Just donated $18, from up north Cleveland area, we don't have a pro team either. Cinci deserves better! Maybe someday Ohio won't be the Bermuda Triangle of pro sports. The anti-authority angle is nice to see coming from SW Ohio as well. Good luck!

So I like the idea of a GM, but I agree with others that it should come with the following guidelines:

1. Must KNOW football and development of talent, with knowledge of developing system and hiring personnel to fit within system), which brings us to ...

2. In charge of all football-related personnel moves (has final say, NOT Mike Brown), this pertains to all drafts, free agents, roster moves, etc.

3. Must expand scouting department.

4. Must not be related to Mike Brown in any capacity (not even a friend of a friend). Let's face it, he could just promote Katie to GM and say he "hired" a GM.

I think then, we could possibly hope that the Bengals will improve in time. I don't think just a GM will fix this, but it's a start. If he does, maybe we can work on a new project to increase scouting, removing the Brown family altogether and getting rid of Bratkowski.

I was listening to your link with Doc and listened to a guy who worked for Aramark Sports Entertainment that provides concession services for Paul Brown Stadium. The caller stated; Mike Brown gets his concession money up front due to the contract that was written and it goes by a percentage of what the Aramark company thinks they will make for the year.

Now, is this true? The only way to find out is to contact the company themselves. So, someone who owns this site needs to find out how the concession profits are given to Mike Brown. I don't think this is true due to they will have to try and project profit. I am sure some businesses do this, but I have volunteered for Aramark at NASCAR events and the contract does say you get a percentage, but a a percentage of the intake for the whole weekend. I believe this is how the process works.

Well, the owner of this site should try to get some real answers or get the media to assist. This is the only way you will be able to know how to really hit Mike Brown's profits and pockets from concession sales. Here is their link....

My complete feeling is the team I see every week is a complete embarrassment. I've watched this teem from the beginning win or lose they always gave 100% and was fun to watch. I think the day they went to Georgetown to train is the day this town lost the Bengal's. Give the team to Kentucky and let Mr. Brown take there tax money and embarrass them. It's time the candy was taken away and he is made to put a team on the field that want's win,win or lose. THANKS !

My complete feeling is the team I see every week is a complete embarrassment. I've watched this teem from the beginning win or lose they always gave 100% and was fun to watch. I think the day they went to Georgetown to train is the day this town lost the Bengal's. Give the team to Kentucky and let Mr. Brown take there tax money and embarrass them. It's time the candy was taken away and he is made to put a team on the field that want's win,win or lose. THANKS !

My complete feeling is the team I see every week is a complete embarrassment. I've watched this teem from the beginning win or lose they always gave 100% and was fun to watch. I think the day they went to Georgetown to train is the day this town lost the Bengal's. Give the team to Kentucky and let Mr. Brown take there tax money and embarrass them. It's time the candy was taken away and he is made to put a team on the field that want's win,win or lose. THANKS !

I do not buy anything when I am at the Game because I feel MIKE BROWN is getting enough money as it is, I eat before I go & after I leave, I will not buy anything there.....Thank God Mike Brown did not run with Obama

When you're in not good state and have no cash to go out from that, you would require to take the loan. Because that should aid you definitely. I take sba loan every time I need and feel OK just because of it.

I don't think this is true due to they will have to try and project profit. I am sure some businesses do this, but I have volunteered for Aramark at NASCAR events and the contract does say you get a percentage, but a a percentage of the intake for the whole weekend. I believe this is how the process works.

Here's an idea that would get some news -
"A WHERE DEY Fan March" that starts maybe across the bridge and finish at PBS. Everyone wear black and a put bag on their head. And do it on Superbowl Sunday Morning. Get the radio and tv stations involved.

My complete feeling is the team I see every week is a complete embarrassment. I've watched this teem from the beginning win or lose they always gave 100% and was fun to watch. I think the day they went to Georgetown to train is the day this town lost the Bengal's. Give the team to Kentucky and let Mr. Brown take there tax money and embarrass them. It's time the candy was taken away and he is made to put a team on the field that want's win,win or lose.

My complete feeling is the team I see every week is a complete embarrassment. I've watched this teem from the beginning win or lose they always gave 100% and was fun to watch. I think the day they went to Georgetown to train is the day this town lost the Bengal's. Give the team to Kentucky and let Mr. Brown take there tax money and embarrass them.